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Published: September 11, 2011 3:00 a.m.

A moving, and wobbly, walk for awareness

Jaclyn Youhana

The Journal Gazette

 

The first thing you notice is the way they walk. The heel-toe-heel-toe movement learned as a toddler seems to have escaped these men’s minds as they clomp around, a mix between a newborn deer on too-spindly legs and a college frat boy on a Saturday night.  Then you notice why they’re walking as though they’re stepping around cow pies: Then men are in all sorts of red high heels – patent leather spikes, sensible pumps, strappy sandals, slip-ons with some floof at the top band and other styles that could only be described as stripper heels.

Saturday morning, hundreds of men gathered at Headwaters Park to Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, an event sponsored by the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau. In its fourth year, Walk a Mile puts men in red high heels and tells them to strut their stuff to raise awareness about sexual assault and rape.

“From the very beginning, it has been a well supported event,” said Jeanette Dillon, head of the women’s bureau. “When you think about it, not every guy feels compelled to put on a pair of red high heels,” but even in 2008, the event’s first year, 400 men turned up to support the cause.  Dillon estimates 500 walkers participated this year, and the total amount raised has not been calculated yet. Last year, the event set a world record for number of people walking in heels with 967, raising more than $100,000.

Todd Rumsey, board chairman at Dupont Hospital, has walked all four years with his son Peter, who is now 16. An obstetrician, Rumsey said rape and rape awareness is something he deals with often.

“This is just an extension of what we do to protect the health and wellness of women,” he said. “Unfortunately, sexual violence is part of so many women’s lives.”  As Rumsey talks before the walk, he is in tennis shoes – proof that he’s something of a pro at the walk. It’s easy to point out some of the first-timers; they’re already in their heels, trying to get used to walking a little taller.  When it’s time to line up to start the walk, Rumsey has changed. Along with pointy-toed red patent leather shoes – the style provided by the women’s bureau – he has donned red knee-socks, dotted with teddy bears in tuxedos.

 

A group from Anthis Career Center walks as part of Joe Kowalewski’s criminal justice class.  “They want to be police officers or work within criminal justice,” Kowalewski said of his students, who have participated every year as part of an “optional-mandatory” assignment.  “You should see the guys’ faces when I tell them they’re walking in heels.” 

 

Not all of his students did walk in heels. As the men gathered toward the starting line, three teenage boys – all Anthis students – could be seen edging to the front of the crowed. When the walk started, they shot off – running.  “That’s my dorky son,” said Ami Cook, of New Haven, there to support her son and his friends. She had no idea they were planning to run the mile. They made decent time; the group was the first to cross the finish line, 8 minutes and 58 seconds later.

One of the Anthis students who raced, Brahndon Bolinger, 16, collapsed in the grass as soon as he finished with one directive: “Get them off!”

While many walked, or ran, to raise awareness or fulfill an “optional-mandatory” credit, others attended because they felt they needed to. Tim Schroeder, of Fort Wayne, a former Detroit medic, had wanted to walk for a few years. He finally worked up the nerve to sign up, bringing his 24-year-old daughter. She not only held him up in case he wobbled in his shoes but also served as an ear: He had to tell someone what he was doing.  “My wife was a victim,” he said. “It was early in our marriage, and she had a situation. She was working late at night by herself in a bad area of town.”  She doesn’t know that he walked Saturday morning. When he and their daughter Whitney left, they just told her, “We’re going for a walk.”  Schroeder isn’t sure how he plans to tell her where he was all morning. Whitney figures she eventually will cave in and tell her mom.  She’s not sure how her mom will react when she learns of their participation.  “I think underneath it all, she’ll feel honored,” Whitney said. 

 

As Schroeder neared the finish line in his red high heels, he clutched his daughter’s wrist. As he passed under the finish line banner, he reached up a hand to tap it.  “There were moments that you felt really moved by what you’re seeing, by what you know,” he said after.  “Sometimes, you feel like laughing. Sometimes, like crying.”

jyouhana@jg.net

 
 
Last updated: August 9, 2011 11:19 a.m.
Agency fundraiser a shoe-in
Local artists donate pieces to raise cash for Women’s Bureau
Stefanie Scarlett
The Journal Gazette
 
If you go
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
What: Fundraiser for bureau’s REACT program
When: 10 a.m. Sept. 10; registration starts at 9 a.m.
Where: Headwaters Park Pavilion
Registration: $35; team discounts available; register at WomensBureau.com by Aug. 25 to reserve a free T-shirt
 
Not everyone can rock a pair of white, thigh-high platform boots in a size 7.
Especially when they’re covered with red, orange and blue lizards crawling around the legs.
Artist Julia Meek painted these “kick-you-know-what boots” for the third annual Women’s Bureau fundraiser, “Women’s Night of Shoes,” which starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Landmark Centre. Guided by the themes of women, shoes and red, local artists were asked for the first time to donate pieces for the event’s auction.   The local artists include Claire Ewart, Karen Moriarty, Terry Ratliff, Santa Brink, Jan McMurtry-Arnold and Caitlin Crowley. 
Meek warns that any potential bidder who plans to actually wear her “Leapin’ Lizards” boots would need “a good sense of adventure and good balance.” But as an art piece, “one size fits all,” she adds.   “They are a statement. They’re near a yard tall. These boots are made for walking and stomping out domestic violence,” Meek says.
 
And that’s the whole point.
 
“The bureau’s partnership with these artists gives us an opportunity to talk about violence against women in a whole new way,” says Jeanette Dillon, chief external officer of the Women’s Bureau.  “I think they give a whole new perspective to the conversation,” she says.
 
Meek and Ewart say they were happy to help.   “It’s such a worthy cause, and I like that they take a lighthearted approach to a really serious subject,” Meek says.   “As a woman, a sister, a mother, I’m glad to be able to make a contribution to help women who need someone to stand up for them,” Ewart says. This event will benefit the bureau’s programs, including REACT, Women’s Enterprise and Transitions, which are housed together for the first time at the new Fairfield Avenue headquarters.
The agency also is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
 
Besides the artwork, auction items will feature a Peg Perego Ducati children’s motorcycle (with helmet), a helicopter tour of Fort Wayne, a wine dinner for six prepared in the winning bidder’s home and Vera Bradley handbags.
“Women’s Night of Shoes” is a companion event to the fourth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event Sept. 10 at Headwaters Park. Last year’s walk, part of a national series to generate awareness about sexual assault and gender violence, set a Guinness World Record with 967 people racing in heels and raised more than $100,000. Male walkers don red high heels for the festive event; female walkers can wear more comfortable shoes if they choose. “It’s one of the very best events I’ve ever done,” Dillon says. “I really believe there’s something healing in that whole process.” The walk raises money for the bureau’s REACT program, which provides a 24-hour crisis hotline, free counseling for sexual assault survivors and prevention education in local schools. “Many of the people we see phone us years after they’ve been assaulted,” Dillon says. “Once we make it a safe thing to talk about, then more victims will seek help and the community, overall, will be healthier,” she says.

 

 
 
Local women’s agencies mark men’s support
Stefanie Scarlett:  HER SPACE; The Journal Gazette
Published: June 9, 2011 3:00 a.m.

 

As they mark major anniversaries this year, two local women’s agencies are trying to diversify and recognize more role models by reaching out to men. The YWCA of Northeast Indiana is taking nominations for its fourth annual “100 Good Men” fundraiser, while the Women’s Bureau is accepting male board members for the first time in its 35-year history. Both want to recognize men’s ongoing support of the agencies and show that they are part of the solution.

 

The YWCA has been providing domestic violence services, in which most victims are female and most perpetrators are male, for 35 years. So it’s easy to forget that such men are in the minority, President and CEO Debby Beckman says. “There are many more men out there who are positive role models,” she says. “We’re all kind of in this together. If we all don’t recognize that family violence is unacceptable, then we’re never going to end it.” That’s why the YWCA wants to honor or memorialize local men who embody the values of the “100 Good Men Pledge,” which includes rejecting violence, empowering others and celebrating diversity. “The concept was, we focus so much on women, how can we do something that honors men – that also brings awareness – so that we’re not excluding them? We need them,” Beckman says. She hopes to reach 100 nominations this year for the first time. (Nominees don’t have to be high-profile community figures.) The deadline is Friday; download a form at www.ywca.org/fortwayne. Each nomination requires a minimum donation of $25. For the second year, the honorees will be recognized during a TinCaps pre-game ceremony, July 7. One will be selected to throw out the first pitch.

 

At the Women’s Bureau, discussions about adding men to the board began last summer, Chief External Officer Jeanette Dillon says. The agency had only recruited women in the past, as a response to the historical lack of female members on corporate and other major boards around the country. While men still make up the majority of such board members, there are more opportunities for women to serve these days, she says, adding that the Women’s Bureau board also wanted to become more diverse. Male candidates for board seats follow the same process as females, by completing an application and meeting with the board’s development committee, which then makes recommendations to the full board. “We connect with people who’ve either expressed an interest in joining or who we think offer the skill sets that will help round out the board,” Dillon says. The first men – representing three of 19 seats – joined this year to serve during the 2011-12 term.  “Especially during ‘Walk A Mile in Her Shoes,’ the bureau saw that men of our community really wanted to show support of women,” she says. “It was a natural progression to have them show that continued support by joining the board,” Dillon says. 

The Women's Bureau REACT Rape Awareness program receives an award from the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne! –From Fort Wayne Journal Gazette FOUNDATION GRANTS report 6/12/11: Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau Inc. d/b/a Women’s Bureau Inc.: $50,000 for the REACT program designed to educate children, teens and young adult women about rape and sexual assaults.

The Women's Bureau Transitions program gets a boost! –From News-Sentinel staff reports 6/11/11: Washington House assets distributed -
The remaining assets of the Washington House Treatment Center, which closed due to financial problems in 2006 after 40 years, have been distributed by the board of directors. Grants include $30,000 to the Women's Bureau, and $22,000 each to Parkview Health, Caring About People and Family and Children's Services. The facility at 2720 Culbertson St. previously was donated to Allen County Community Corrections, which converted it to the Kelley House, a facility that treats offenders battling mental illness and substance abuse. The Kelley House opened last year and was dedicated Friday, with guests including Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard.

 

 

The Women's Bureau on Indiana's Newscenter!

 

Kicking off in April, Indiana's Newscenter recognized April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month by running PSAs and INSight segments explaining the problem and some solutions to sexual assault and rape in northeast Indiana.  Please click HERE to view the information at Indiana's Newscenter. 

 

Women's Bureau erases $120,000 deficit. Job cuts, fundraising put agency back in the black.

 By Christian Sheckler

The News-Sentinel
Tuesday, March 30, 2011
 
For the Women's Bureau, it took only a year for a $58,000 surplus to turn into a $120,000 deficit.

That's the situation Jeanette Dillon walked into when she took over as the organization's chief external officer in November 2009. But a financial turnaround over the last year has positioned the Women's Bureau with a surplus again – $20,000, to be precise.

“We knew we had a lot of work to do,” Dillon said.

Although she had reviewed the bureau's financial standing before joining the organization and expected to face a $105,000 budget shortfall, a 2009 audit found the deficit was $15,000 deeper, Dillon said.

In the tough economic climate of 2009, fewer foundations could help fund the bureau, which was founded in 1976 and includes a sexual violence education program, a center for women's business, and a drug and alcohol rehab facility.

That same year, the Indiana Department of Child Services slashed $65,000 in funding for the bureau's Transitions program, which aids mothers with drug and alcohol addictions, Dillon said.

The $120,000 hole that the Women's Bureau was in at the end of 2009 represents about 10 percent of its $1 million-plus annual budget. Dillon said the bureau was not in a grave financial situation, but noted that most healthy nonprofit agencies “at the very least try to break even.”

The struggle to break even forced the agency to cut some full-time jobs and reduce other employees' hours.

Dillon said the cuts left fewer employees doing the same amount of work while trying to maintain morale. “Once you see your friends leave, you think,

‘When will I be cut?'” she said.

“It translated into real people making less money for their families,” Dillon said. “It was not fun. But our hope was to maintain a certain level of services for our clients.”

Although the budget shortfall forced cuts, Dillon credited individual donors with driving the financial turnaround in 2010. Bureau board members stepped up their giving, and the extra cash was used to match donations, drawing more gifts from other individuals.

“It was us saying we all need to give a little more,” Dillon said. “It really is a bunch of individuals coming together to fund a cause that fuels these social service agencies.”
What's the 2011 outlook for the women's bureau?

“So far, so good,” Dillon said, adding that the bureau should begin to hear in April whether grant requests have yielded results. 

NEWS FROM THE WOMEN’S BUREAU’S WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE PROGRAM

SBA Administrator Karen Mills recently wrote an open letter to the small business community on new guidance for small businesses to ensure they know how to take advantage of the health care tax credit this year.  Please see the letter below and share with your Small Business friends.
 
December 2, 2010
 
As I’ve traveled the country this year, I have heard from many of you who are looking forward to the new tax credits, health insurance exchanges, and other tools that will help you provide health insurance coverage to your employees as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
The most immediate benefit of the new law is a tax credit that will help America’s smallest employers and nonprofit organizations (less than 25 full-time equivalent employees with average annual wages below $50,000) who have been hit hardest by premium increases in recent years.  Today, I’m pleased to announce that the Administration is releasing a one-page form and instructions (available here) on how to claim this credit for the 2010 tax year.   In addition, new guidance released today answers questions that many of you have asked related to: your current contribution arrangements, eligibility for certain religious institutions, and participation by multiemployer health and welfare plans. In each case, the Administration has worked to ensure that a broad range of small businesses can qualify.
These credits are available for tax years 2010 through 2013 and for any two years after that.  Through 2013, the maximum tax credit is 35 percent of premiums paid by small employers and 25 percent for eligible tax-exempt organizations.  Beginning in 2014, those levels increase to 50 percent and 35 percent, respectively.  Importantly, these credits are just one of many benefits in the Affordable Care Act.  Most notably, in 2014, firms with up to 100 workers will be able to pool their buying power and reduce their administrative costs by purchasing coverage through a health insurance exchange. 
Finally, the new law strengthens America’s entrepreneurial spirit, overall.  For example, it outlaws discrimination against those with pre-existing conditions, giving more Americans the ability to break out of “job lock” and start their own companies.  The new law also prohibits insurance companies from dramatically increasing premiums for a small business just because one worker gets sick.
Overall, the Affordable Care Act is a critical tool that will help millions of small business owners provide health insurance to people who you often consider to be members of your extended family – your employees.  As a nation, we owe you nothing less as you work to grow, create jobs, and lead us toward full economic recovery.
 
Warm regards,

Karen Mills
SBA Administrator

__________________________________

 

 

 

                                                  
Published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: April 10, 2011 3:00 a.m.
Hoosier women left lagging as pay gap closes
Jeanette Dillon
 
Tuesday is Equal Pay Day.
 
   That’s the day women work to in 2011 to make as much as a man made in 2010. Women – many of whom are the major income providers for their families during these tough economic times – have to work 15 months to make what a man makes in 12.
   We are seeing signs of improvement while also acknowledging a decline. On the one hand, the gap between the pay of men and women is not as wide as it used to be. Nationally, women now make 77 cents to a man’s dollar, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s slightly better than last year’s 25-cent gap and means we recognize Equal Pay Day eight days earlier this year than last. On the other hand, before we celebrate too early, let’s put into perspective what the current 23-cent gap means in real terms to women and families.
   Economist Evelyn Murphy, president and founder of The WAGE Project, estimates that the wage gap costs the average American full-time woman worker between $700,000 and $2 million over the course of her lifetime. Imagine how many more children could have been fed, clothed, and sent to college had their moms simply made as much as their dads. Even more sobering, the pay gap for the women of Indiana is even greater than the national average. AAUW uses Census Bureau statistics to chart wage gaps state-by-state. According to that chart, Hoosier women are paid only 71 cents to a man’s dollar, and Indiana ranks 47th in the nation in closing the pay gap between men and women. At the rate we are going, the wage gap will not close for another 50 years. Women and their families cannot afford to wait that long.
   What can we do to close the gap? First, we can pay attention to the problem. Pay equity is a growing national movement. States around the country are introducing pay equity legislation, and it’s important for concerned citizens to discuss the legislation with their representatives if they care to help families in the future.   Second, employers could examine their pay practices by taking a self-audit found at www.pay-equity.org. Any pay discrepancies can be corrected under the equal pay laws.
Employers may receive explanations of this provision of the law by contacting the Metropolitan Human Relations Commission.
Metro is another resource for women who need to stand up for equal pay and for themselves. Women who believe they are paid less than men have the right to discuss the problem with their employers. If discrimination persists, they can file a complaint with Metro or with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
   It’s also worth noting that some women avoid the wage battle with corporations altogether by launching their own businesses. That’s certainly something we encourage and support at the Women’s Bureau with our Women’s Enterprise program. 
   Most of us have women in our lives who mean a great deal to us. Think of them as you do something to help remedy an injustice that has stubbornly persisted despite years of discussion, excuses, and rationalizations.   The numbers are not lying. The gap exists. And we can do better. We already have but we can do more.
 
Jeanette Dillon is the chief external officer for the Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau. She wrote this for The Journal Gazette.


 
 

Women’s businesses expand
Published: December 12, 2010 3:00 a.m.
Females still lag in number of companies, employees, wages
Sherry Slater
The Journal Gazette
At a glance
The 2007 Survey of Business Owners produced the following national statistics about women-owned businesses:
•There were 7.8 million, a 44 percent increase from 5.4 million in 1997.
•The number grew twice as fast in 10 years as the increase in men-owned businesses: 22 percent.
•The proportion of women-owned businesses increased only slightly, however, to 28.7 percent of the total from 28.2 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
 
FORT WAYNE – Census data show 26.8 percent of all Indiana businesses were owned by women in 2007, the lowest percentage in the region. 
     Illinois reported 30.5 percent. Michigan posted 30.4 percent. And Ohio women owned 27.7 percent of that state’s businesses at the time of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 Survey of Business Owners.
   The data, released last week, show the economy has untapped potential, census officials said in a conference call with reporters. Both the number of women-owned businesses and the size of each are underdeveloped, they said.
   “Women’s firms are steadily expanding and show great potential for growth,” said Rebecca Blank, the Commerce Department’s acting deputy secretary.
   To be classified as woman-owned, at least 51 percent of a business’ stock or assets must be owned by a woman. The survey placed businesses into four categories: women-owned, men-owned, equally owned by men and women, and not classifiable by gender. The latter group includes publicly traded companies and non-profits.
   Women owned 7.8 million businesses, which was 28.7 percent of all businesses nationwide. But those businesses typically were smaller, generating $1.2 trillion in revenue, or just 3.9 percent of total receipts. Most of them included only the owner; 88.3 percent had no paid employees.
   The 11.7 percent of women-owned businesses with paid workers employed 7.6 million, who earned $217.6 billion. In contrast, 23.3 percent of men-owned businesses employed 41.5 million workers, who earned $1.5 trillion.
   Dana Lewis, executive director of the National Women’s Business Council, said such numbers are important to her group, which advises the president, Congress and Small Business Administration.
   “We recognize (women) face many roadblocks at all stages of business growth,” Lewis said.
   But the council can’t recommend national policy changes without knowing the facts generated by the business survey conducted every five years, she said.
   On the state level, Indiana doesn’t offer incentives targeted at female entrepreneurs, according to Blair West, spokeswoman for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
   Female entrepreneurs can find support locally at Women’s Enterprise, a business counseling office.
   Barbara Johnson, the non-profit’s director, said women who want to launch a business face some challenges to a greater degree than men. One of them is getting access to credit.
   Women who have married and stayed home raising children might discover they’ve neglected to establish a credit history in their own name, Johnson said.
   That can make it tough to get approved for a loan, especially if the woman has divorced, she said.
   Women also tend to put higher priority on family responsibilities than men do, Johnson said. As a result, women will purposely keep their businesses smaller, she said.
   “It’s a huge challenge,” she said. “You want to make sure your home life is right or your business life won’t be right.”
   Almost half – 45.5 percent – of women-owned businesses nationally generated sales of less than $10,000 in 2007. Only 20 percent generated receipts of more than $50,000 a year. Almost twice as many men-owned businesses reported sales of $50,000 or more: 39.5 percent.
   One reason for the lower revenues is that women gravitate to sectors that aren’t relatively well-paid, officials said. Those include repair and maintenance, personal and laundry services, and health care and social assistance.
   Lewis noted that last week’s data, gathered three years ago, don’t document bankruptcies prompted by the recession.
   Census officials won’t know whether women-owned businesses closed at a higher or lower rate than other businesses until the 2012 business survey results are studied.